


Uncles, Boyfriends, and Meat Cleavers

by MamaJefe



Category: Midnight Poppy Land (Webcomic)
Genre: Established Relationship, Future
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-16
Updated: 2020-09-16
Packaged: 2021-03-06 15:09:21
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,187
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26490928
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MamaJefe/pseuds/MamaJefe
Summary: Tora and Poppy's daughter brings home her first boyfriend.
Relationships: Tora/Poppy Wilkes
Comments: 13
Kudos: 116





	Uncles, Boyfriends, and Meat Cleavers

Tora was nervous. This was not something he had really thought he’d ever need to be prepared for. Being honest, he didn’t really think he’d live this long, and yet here he was. He didn’t look all that different, but 20 years had added some lines around his eyes and between his eyebrows. And only Poppy had the courage to mention the grey hairs that were slowly appearing. Here he stood in a kitchen, a whole fish in front of him, a cleaver in his hand, and a battle going on in his mind. Poppy passed behind him.

“He’ll be here in about five minutes, try to keep it under control,” she whispered, a smile ghosting across her face.

“I’ll try sweetheart, but no promises. Where are the boys?” he asked, feeling himself relax in her presence.

“They’re in the living room playing. Put your battle face on, I think I hear Iris coming down the stairs”

Not even ten seconds later Tora’s teenage daughter burst into the kitchen. She had his hair and eyes but Poppy’s face. And like Poppy, she was talking before she even entered the room.

“ ...just texted, he’s down the street. Please, please, please don’t scare…. What are you doing?!” she yelled when she caught sight of the knife, her fist clenching just like Poppy’s did when she was mad.

“... I’m making dinner…” 

“Ugh! I can’t believe this!” Iris shouted, and Tora could sense the teenage meltdown starting. But then she stomped out of the kitchen into the living room leaving him both a little confused and very worried. He heard an exasperated scream and then Iris was on the warpath back into the kitchen.

“WHY ARE UNCLE QUINCEY AND UNCLE GYU HERE?!” and the meltdown was in full swing. The glare iris was giving him would have sent anybody else running the other way. But then, Tora had been the one she learned it form. He could hear snickering from the living room and the boys were suspiciously quiet. Tora got the feeling there was eavesdropping going on.

“Ya mother and I thought it would be nice to have them over for dinner before the boy’s tee ball game tonight,” he said, trying to look and sound as innocent as possible.

“That’s a load of bull-”

“Don’t you swear at your father young lady!” Poppy said without turning around, but her tone had made her meaning clear.  _ If you want this date to happen, you better show some respect. _

Iris took a deep breath and let it out. “ That’s a load of crap and you know it. You’re going to try to scare him off arent you?”

Tora was trying and failing to hide the smile creeping onto his face. He reached forward and pinched her cheek, “I don’t know what you’re talking about.” 

Iris shot him a glare, she opened her mouth to continue arguing but the doorbell interrupted her before she could start. Instead, she straightened her shoulders, wiped the glare off her face, and pasted a smile on where it had been a second earlier. She turned on her heel and made her way to the door. 

“You know she gets that from you right?” Poppy said as she watched Tora reel front eh sudden change in his daughter’s mood.

“I know, doesn’t make it any less effing scary,” he muttered. 

Tora heard the front door open and close. He could hear Iris talking excitedly, and then footsteps coming down the hallway. Tora squared his shoulder, Poppy put a soothing hand on his arm and bounced up to kiss his cheek. “Remember we don’t want to scare him away” she whispered. Tora grumbled “Why not?” under his breath

And then it began. His daughter had brought home her first boyfriend. One situation on a long list that Tora had never thought he would see. One situation he was not wholly prepared for. But all hell be damned, he’d spent the first half of his life thinking on his feet he could do it now too. On walked his daughter holding a boy’s hand. Tora felt his eye twitch once. The kid was of average height but broad-shouldered. He had dark hair and kind eyes.

“Mom, Dad. This is Martin.” Iris said, beaming. Toras' eye twitched again.

“It really nice to meet you, Mr. and Mrs. Wilkes,” he said politely. 

“Why don’t you two sit down and talk with us for a minute, before you leave. We’re just prepping dinner.” Poppy said warmly before turning to start measuring out the rice. The two slipped into chairs at the island across from Tora and his fish. As they did Tora made and held eye contact with Martin. Who surprisingly held it without a problem.

Without breaking the contact yelled, “ Princess, Ronzo! Come help me with this fish! I’m not feedin ya for free.” 

“Sure thing Honey!” and in strode Quincey and Gyu. Gyu had aged similar to Tora but his hairline was receding. Quincey looked no different than he had twenty years ago. They both stood to Tora’s left. 

“This is Martin,” Tora said tersely.

The two men each fixed their eyes on martin, joining Toras. And then without breaking eye contact, Tora raised the cleaver and chopped the fish’s head off with one blow. The kid flinched but held it together. But then Tora gutted and filleted the fish in one smooth stroke, and his face paled. Tora passed a filet to Quincey, who quickly skinned it, and then Gyu deboned it. The fish was butchered in less than two minutes. And during the whole process, the three men looked nowhere but Martin’s eyes. The kid was as white as a sheet by the time they were done.

“Reminds me of the good old days,” Gyu said barely stifling a laugh at the kid’s face.

“So tell us about ya self,” Tora said in the sternest voice he could muster while trying not to laugh himself, slipping back into his old speech patterns.

Iris dropped her head down onto the countertop and groaned. Poppy decided it was time to come to the rescue. “Oh, would you look at the time! You two are going to be late to your movie if you don’t head out now.”

Iris shot out of her chair, “You’re right! Bye, mom! Bye, dad!” she practically shouted and dragged the frozen Martin out of his seat, down the hall, and out the door.

“Good old days? Gyu really? Those days sucked.” Quincey said punching him in the arm.

“Yeah but he didn’t know that”

…

Around 10:30 Iris came home. Poppy was sitting n the couch, Tora asleep with his head in her lap. When she saw the glare iris was giving Tora, she smiled softly and whispered “ you know when your older brother brought his first girlfriend home I had Aunt Cordelia and Aunty Erdene come over.”

Iris rolled her eyes, “yeah, but I bet they didn’t skin a fish in front of Grace.”

Poppy chuckled. “No, they didn’t. But Cordy did follow them on her bike for the first hour of their date.”

**Author's Note:**

> Sorry if the writing isn't on par with my previous stuff, I was just super excited to get this written and posted.


End file.
